A/N: This is for the Quidditch League Fanfiction competition. I am the seeker for the wasps. Round 11. My prompt was to use Saw (2004) for inspiration. I have never seen it, but I looked up the synopsis and thought that the Carrows fit the plot perfectly.
Final Word Count: 1018
Once upon a time at Hogwarts, detention meant going into the forbidden forest with Hagrid, cleaning chalkboards, sorting potions ingredients, cleaning cauldrons and the like. Once upon a time, detention was nothing more than a nuisance to those that had decided to break the rules, argue with a teacher, or cause inappropriate disruptions. It was a place of honor for pranksters, those wanting to follow the legacy of Fred and George and the pranksters before them.
Once upon a time, Hogwarts had been a relatively happy place.
And then the Carrows arrived.
They said that they liked games. That they had fun games for those that wanted to challenge their rule. But with them teaching dark magic, Neville couldn't stand by.
In fact, he didn't even last a full week of classes before acting out and landing himself in detention with the Carrow siblings. And when he showed up the first friday for detention, he learned exactly what they meant by games.
"Welcome to your first detention, students," Amycus said, his voice sending a chill down Neville's spine. "We hope that you have studied well in your classes with us because tonight you will be demonstrating what we've gone over in class."
That didn't sound good. Not one bit. And as Neville examined the room of students around (mostly younger students still learning the rules, a large of amount of Gryffindors, and a few who had been in Dumbledore's Army) he understood he was not alone. Many of the first and second year students looked downright terrified.
"I want the fifth years and higher on this side of the room," Alecto announced as she moved to the right side of the classroom. "Fourth years and lower will go to the otherside with Amycus."
The students stared silently for a moment, glancing around at each other and back up at the new professors.
"What are you waiting for?" she demanded in a low menace.
Everyone moved, Neville a tad more slowly than the others, feeling hesitant, waiting to find out what was going to happen. As the last students, hesitant like Neville, reached the appropriate side of the room, the looked back to the siblings.
"Now, tell me one the spells my brother has taught you," Aecto commanded of her side of the room. No one moved to raise their hands. And then there was screaming. One of the fifth years, Neville thought. A gryffindor girl had fallen to the ground, curled in on herself, screaming.
Neville felt rage pooling in his stomach. He knew immediately what spell was being used on her, and despite the rising nausea it brought on, he roared: "STOP IT!"
The room turned its attention to him, his red face, chest heaving. Once upon a time, he'd been small and meek. He'd been considered a coward by his classmates, an outlier in to the Gryffindor name. He supposed they were rethinking everything they had thought about him now.
Alecto almost seemed gleeful. "Oh, have we upset you? What's your name boy?"
Before Neville could speak for himself though, Amycus answered his sister, with a hint of sick pleasure, "That's the Longbottom boy."
Understanding immediately lit his sister's face and a cackle, worthy of the 'wicked witches' that some Muggleborns talked about, escaped her. Her brother followed shortly after.
"You must understand the lesson very well then, boy."
Neville ground his teeth. Why did everyone love to make vague references to his parents? Why did You-Know-Who's followers relish in bringing it up.
"Answer me boy. What did you learn in my brother's class?"
Neville fumed, glaring daggers at her. He was all but grinding his teeth as he answered, "The Cruciatus Curse."
"Correct. And today, for your detention, those on my side of the room, will be showing us how well they've studied. But using their new spell, on Amycus's side of the classroom," Alecto announced.
Shock. That could be the only way to describe the looks falling over the faces of his classmates. Fear over the younger students.
"You will do it to them, or we will make you do it."
The students looked amongst each other, unsure. Surely they didn't mean it. Surely they didn't mean to have them hurt their own classmates, and with an unforgivable curse at that. Murmuring started, as the students began to quietly question their teachers.
Ginny pushed her way through the crowd to stand next to Neville, leaning over subtly. "They mean business," she whispered. "Do they really expect us to do this?"
Alecto pointed to a girl closest to her; an upperclassmen Ravenclaw. "Do it, now."
The girl stepped forward, closer to the younger students, a medley of emotion written across her face.
"What are you waiting for?"
The girl waved her wand, a spell on her lips. The room around them seemed to tense as the younger student across from her screamed, before laughing. Neville sighed. She'd used a tickling jinx. Outright defiance that soon had her on the floor screaming.
Neville snapped, charging to the center of the room, turning his attention to Alecto and waving his wand, a shouted, "Expelliarmus!" tearing from him.
This time the shriek came from Alecto, followed by a furious roar from Amycus.
Neville could sense the spell coming, managed to shield at first, defending himself from the onslaught. With each passing blast though, he barely managed to block it until he felt a spell hit him. He wasn't sure what it was, but his vision blacked for a moment, and he was on the floor. He thought he could feel blood, as stars danced in his vision. Ginny, he thought, was at his side.
"This is what happens to those that don't behave," Amycus bellowed. "Now, you will do as you were told."
Neville was left on the floor, though he swore he could hear Ginny shouting, as the room slowly began to fill with the sounds of spells being cast and screams of pain and suffering. He tried to get up, to continue to fight, but his body wasn't listening to him as he blacked out again.